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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-18078

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in developing the Social Security Charter, and what involvement minority ethnic groups and race equality organisations have had in this process.

A core of group of 30 people with lived experience of social security, carefully balanced to reflect a broad range of experiences, has been recruited and will oversee the charter’s development. To date it has met on three occasions with sessions focussed on the charter’s structure and appearance, human rights, inclusive communication and what the principles should mean in practice.

A separate stakeholder group composed of 27 organisations, chaired by Dr Sally Witcher, met for the first time on 17 August. Many of these organisations, e.g. the Coalition for Racial Equality and the Scottish Refugee Council, represent or work closely with people from seldom heard groups, including those from minority ethnic communities. An important part of the stakeholder group’s remit is to help ensure that the charter strongly reflects the perspectives of these groups and communities.

Question reference: S5W-18079

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in its Race Equality Framework 2016-2030, what work it is doing to fill any gaps in its knowledge of how and to what extent BME groups are accessing the benefits that they are entitled to.

Question reference: S5W-18117

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 24 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of its consultation, A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections.

Question reference: S5W-18100

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Ill Health and Disability Benefits Stakeholder Reference Group has met since October 2017, and whether it will publish the minutes of any meetings on the group's page on its website.

The Ill Health and Disability Benefits Stakeholder Reference group has met twice since October 2017 and cleared minutes are published on the website at https://beta.gov.scot/groups/ill-health-and-disability-benefits-stakeholder-reference-group/ .

Minutes for the most recent meeting of the Group, on 23 July are currently being circulated for comment and will be published after they have been cleared by Group members.

Question reference: S5W-18099

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the list of minutes on the Ill Health and Disability Benefits Stakeholder Reference Group's page on its website has not been updated since December 2017.

Question reference: S5W-18077

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11056 by Jeane Freeman on 18 September 2018, whether race equality has featured as a discussion in its Social Security Experience Panels, and, if not, whether this topic will be addressed.

Social Security Experience Panel research has focussed on understanding panel members experience of the current benefits system, and working with them to understand how we can improve the new system in Scotland. The research is structured to allow panel members the opportunity to discuss what is important to them, and accessibility is always a key priority. For example, translation and interpretation services are available through the Experience Panels helpline, and we always offer to book interpreters if they are needed.

In addition, the research team are running a series of research events with people from ethnic minority backgrounds, many of whom do not speak English as a first language. The first of these events was held in March 2018, with further events scheduled in September this year.

Question reference: S5W-18076

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11055 by Jeane Freeman on 18 September 2017, in light of its commitment to do so "at a later stage", whether it now monitors the ethnicity of individuals participating in its Social Security Experience Panels, and, if so, when this data will be published.

In May 2018 Experience Panel members were invited to participate in a survey to update their details and to provide information relating to their protected characteristics. This included a question asking them their ethnicity. The survey and each individual question were voluntary. The results of this survey are still being analysed and will be published later in 2018. We will continue to provide panel members with opportunities to update their details, including opportunities to provide information about their protected characteristics, including ethnicity.

Question reference: S5W-17921

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent specialist nurses in organ donation have been employed in each hospital in each year since 2011, broken down by NHS board.

While specialist nurses are available at all times to provide organ donation services where these can be facilitated in Scotland, information is not centrally held by ISD at this level of detail.

The number of specialist nurses is published quarterly and the most recent data, published on 5 June 2018, can be found at http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-06-05/Nursing-and-Midwifery.asp .

The number of specialist nurses dating back to September 2007 can be found in the non-medical trend table found here https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-06-05/Non-Medical_Trend_M2018.xls .

The data can provide a breakdown by NHS Board but not by hospital.

Question reference: S5W-17920

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent specialist nurses in organ donation are employed in each hospital, broken down by NHS board.

While specialist nurses are available at all times to provide organ donation services where these can be facilitated in Scotland, information is not centrally held by ISD at this level of detail.

ISD Workforce collects data on the number of specialist nurses at national and Health Board level.The number of specialist nurses is published quarterly and the most recent data, published on 5 June 2018, can be found at http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-06-05/Nursing-and-Midwifery.asp .

The data can provide a breakdown by NHS Board but not by hospital.

Question reference: S5W-17716

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 August 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group's advice that consent should be obtained from recipients of carers allowance in order for the DWP to share data with the Scottish Government for the purpose of paying the carers allowance supplement.